Creating a fun and welcoming learning environment for your students is your job as a teacher.It is possible to decorate your classroom so that students are able to learn in an organized and visually appealing environment.If you work with a smaller budget, you can still make your room an exciting place for students to learn and grow.
Step 1: Decide what type of atmosphere you want to create.
You should base your classroom style on your teaching philosophy.Do you want your classroom to look professional or homey?Do you want your students to be calm?Let the questions determine what atmosphere you want to create.A homey classroom may have warm decor, but an professional classroom might stick to basic colors and educational posters.An energetic classroom with bright colors and lots of posters might be calm.
Step 2: You can choose a furniture arrangement that suits you.
Think about how you want your students to interact with you.You could choose rows to limit talking, desk groupings to encourage collaboration, or a giant desk circle to facilitate classroom discussions.If your room is set up to allow this, you can create a system for different types of desk groupings.If your desk, bookshelves, and organizational furniture are not placed correctly, they will get in the way of your arrangements.You can either put your desk in the back of the classroom to make it harder for students to intimidate you or you can put it at the front.It is possible to balance being visible to students and keeping them at ease by putting it on the side.
Step 3: You should match the decor to the age of your students.
It's important that your decor matches the age of your students because it can impact how they learn and behave in your class.Young children and teens need to feel responsible, but you want them to be excited and unafraid.Bright colors, fun shapes, and educational reminders can benefit younger students.You could put up multiplication charts.The set up that allows middle school children to be independent might make them respond well to posters.The high school students might not like it.A balance between homey and professional can work well for them.
Step 4: Your subject matter should be included in your decor.
By reflecting the subject you teach, your students can get into the right frame of mind to learn.Posters, photos, and colors correspond to your subject or subjects.If you teach older children, your room might reflect that.A history teacher might choose quotes from historical figures and decorate their walls with different timelines.Different areas of the room might be created for younger students.Since they'll be learning many subjects in one room, your classroom should reflect that.You could have a reading corner, a math wall, and a word wall.
Step 5: Wrap the door or bulletin board with wrapping paper.
If you want to cover your door or bulletin board, you have to get a large roll of wrapping paper.If your door has a window, cut out the holes for it.Attach the paper to the door with masking tape or staple it to a bulletin board.You can use a large roll of butcher paper to make a cover.You can usually find butcher paper in white, brown, black, and occasionally seasonal colors like red, green, or yellow.
Step 6: Borders and frames can be created using colored masking tape.
Whenever you hang a poster, picture, or bulletin board, use a roll of masking tape to make a straight or zig zag border.Simply rip off the length that you need to cover one side, and smooth it out with your hands in a zig zag line.To complete the frame or border, trim the edges of each piece.Colored masking tape and painter's tape can be found at most home improvement stores and craft stores.Special crafting tape called washi tape is great for making borders and frames.
Step 7: The paper whirligig should hang from the ceiling.
Kids can make their own whirligig classroom decoration.Cut a few colored paper plates in a spiral pattern and decorate them.Use a string or ribbon to hang the whirligig from the ceiling after punching a hole in the center.When the seasons change, this is a great craft project to do with your students.Students will be able to see their whirligig on display if you update the decorations in your room.
Step 8: The front of the room will have a paper circle welcome banner.
Write a letter to the world on each circle of construction paper.Attach a piece of ribbon through the holes on the left and right sides of the circle to make a banner.The banner can be hung above the doorway or on the door.For more depth, you can cut larger circles out of a different color.Don't be afraid to make a few different banners for different times of the year, like "Happy fall!" or "Spring has sprung!"
Step 9: Your classroom rules and objectives should be written on a poster.
A set of clearly defined classroom rules should be visible to the students in every room.You might be required to display objectives for student learning in your state.The posters should be interesting and colorful to fit in with the rest of the classroom decor.Posters of the different equations that students will need to complete their problems can be found in a math classroom.If you have to, make sure you cover these up.If the posters contain answers, this is important.Posters showing proper lab behaviors and lab rules can be hung in a science classroom.
Step 10: The walls should be decorated with pictures of the class subject.
Since too much decoration can distract, make sure the decorations on your wall have a purpose.To encourage students to be interested in the class, choose quotes, inspiring figures, and class related images to decorate the walls.If you teach English, you can put up a wall of pictures with quotes from novels that you will be reading in class.The Periodic Table of Elements can be seen at the front of the room in a chemistry class, since you will likely be referencing it throughout the year.
Step 11: The bulletin board should be turned into a wall of fame for students.
Put the students name on a card and hang it on the bulletin board.Ask each student to bring in a picture of someone important to them at the beginning of the year.Have the students help you hang up their picture and talk about it with the class.Younger children will feel more relaxed in your classroom since they will have a reminder of something they love in the room.
Step 12: It's a good idea to spend less on decorations for the year.
Some schools give teachers a small budget for decorating, while others require them to use their own money.Decide how much money you want to spend on materials and decorations.$100 is a reasonable decoration budget for most classrooms.It's a good idea to prioritize classroom materials.Colorful bulletin boards and posters aren't as important to your students' success as items like pencils, paper, books, and folders are.The teacher will be required to purchase additional items if the school only provides a certain amount.Even with a small decorating budget, you can still make your classroom exciting and welcoming for your students.
Step 13: There are discounts on decorating supplies in discount stores.
It's pretty expensive to buy construction paper, tape, and markers.The clearance section of the craft store is a good place to find discounted items.Ask the store associate if they offer a discount for teachers.The holiday decorations will go on sale after the holiday is over.You can get deals on themed decorations at the craft store a few days after the holiday.
Step 14: You can use the internet to print pictures.
Posters and pictures can be expensive, but most teachers have access to a printer.Images of important ideas, figures, and topics can be found in your class plan.Before hanging them on the walls, trim the borders and print them all out.For a more polished look, you can add a construction paper background to create a border around the images.You can find cheap frames at thrift stores or garage sales.Black and white pictures of historical figures can be printed out and hung at the front of the classroom if you teach a history class.As you talk about that figure, you can point to the various pictures.You can ask your students to name the figures on the wall by the end of the year.
Step 15: Student work and projects can be displayed in the classroom.
You don't need to buy new decorations as the year goes on.Student projects, papers, or class activities can be displayed on the bulletin board.It is a good idea to include a small explanation of the assignment.If you can, take pictures of your class as they work on projects and finish assignments.Add the pictures to the bulletin board for a work in progress section.You should never hang assignments with grades on them.
Step 16: Purchase furniture and decorations at a thrift store.
If you need an extra table for your room or a bookshelf to hold more books, head to a thrift store, resale store or flea market.Pick an item that is in working condition, but remember that it doesn't need to be perfect since it will probably get some marks from being in your classroom anyways!It is cheaper to paint an old piece of furniture than it is to buy a new one.Good deals can be found in the clearance section of furniture stores.
Step 17: Household items can be used in your classroom.
You can use items like empty jars, magazines, old books, bins, trays, and even boxes in your classroom.Remove identifying information from magazines and books if you plan to bring them into your classroom.If you want to hold pencils, markers, and rulers on a student station, you can use empty mason jars.Old magazines and damaged books can be used to make decorations.Adding storage to a smaller room with items like boxes and bins can be done without spending a lot of money.
Step 18: Bulletin boards can be inspired by a color scheme.
Pick 1-2 colors for decorating to keep your boards from being too distracting.Use the colors throughout the room to make it feel cohesive.If you choose yellow and white for your color scheme, you can make your bulletin boards white with yellow trim.Adding pops of yellow in the classroom will draw students attention to important items.If you teach biology, you could pick green and navy blue.One bulletin board can be green with blue trim.Posters with images of trees, lakes, and other Earth-inspired images are recommended.It is possible to use your school's colors as a source of inspiration.
Step 19: You can create a station for extra materials.
There is a student station at the front or back of the room that has extra pencils, a pencil sharpener, tape, stapler, hand sanitizer, tissues, and paper clips for the students to use.They don't have to ask you if they need extra supplies or forgot a pencil.You can put bathroom passes and sign-out sheets on this table so students can use the restroom before class.
Step 20: Use crates to hold stuff.
Multipurpose crates are a great way to keep the classroom orderly.Look for a set of 3 on sale.They should be labeled so students know what to expect.You can make a crate and hang 5 folders inside of it, labeled Monday-Friday.The extra papers from class activities should be put in the corresponding folder so students who miss class can get their materials.If your class is reading a novel, you can put the books in crates at the front of the room so students can get them before class.The books will be in the same place.
Step 21: A bookshelf is a good place to hold items that don't have a place.
You might have to bring your own because many classrooms don't have built-in shelving.You can fill a bookcase with books for the class, but not every day.This will keep them out of the way.If you put arts and crafts supplies on a bookshelf, you can ask students to retrieve them.Supplemental sources and reference books can be placed on the shelves in an upper-level class.
Step 22: Younger students should have student mailboxes to make sure they take their papers home.
Place all of the papers that need to go home in their box if you assign each student a number that corresponds to a slot on the mailbox.If any students forget their papers, have them collect them in a folder at the end of the day or week.It helps to reduce the amount of class time spent on passing out information to parents.